NeoGeo CD optical drive replacement - SD card game loader
In the forgotten valley of Emberveil, where rivers bled rust-colored fire, the world whispered of the Scarlet Demon’s Stone—a gem cursed for a thousand years. Legends claimed it was forged by a priest named Altharion, who, in his grief over a fallen kingdom, bound his shattered soul to the gemstone, birthing a tyrant of crimson storms. Now, his tormented spirit raged as the Scarlet Demon, trapping the valley in twilight and draining life from all who trespassed.
Alternatively, the stone is keeping a kingdom locked in time, and Sasha must release it. The "Free" part is key. The resolution involves a ritual where the stone is released without causing destruction. Maybe the stone is a test of faith for Sasha. Saint Sasha and the Scarlet Demon-s Stone Free ...
Altharion’s true form emerged—a withered priest, his soul no longer bound to stone. The valley exhaled. The rivers ran clear. The Scarlet Demon’s curse burned out. In the forgotten valley of Emberveil, where rivers
In the end, the story should have a satisfying conclusion—whether the stone is destroyed, the demon is redeemed, or the captive is freed through some sacrifice. Maybe Sasha loses her powers but gains wisdom, or the demon becomes a protector. Alternatively, the stone is keeping a kingdom locked
Let me brainstorm some ideas. Maybe Saint Sasha is on a mission to free someone or something from the grip of the Scarlet Demon's Stone. The stone could be a cursed object holding someone captive. Maybe Sasha has to go through trials, battle the demon, and use her holy powers or a weapon to free the captive.
The Neo CD SD Loader could be called an ODE (Optical Drive Emulator) because the benefits are similar, but technically speaking it isn't really one. It doesn't simulate an optical drive. It provides the console with a direct interface to an SD card and patches the BIOS to load games from it instead. From an user standpoint though, the functionality is the same !
Front-loader |
 |
Top-loader |
|
CD-Z |
 Maybe one day |
Installation requires some soldering, but nothing too hard except one delicate part (see instructions). There's no need to cut the plastic shell of the console.
If ever needed, the whole kit can be cleanly removed and the console restored to its original form.
Yes, just like you could run them by burning CD-Rs. The loader doesn't circumvent any anti-piracy features since the NeoGeo CD doesn't really have any. However, some games implement copy-detection measures that may be triggered. Patched versions of the games do exist.
If you like indie games, please buy them :)
Yes. The original CD drive can be kept operational if needed but you will only be able to use microSD cards, not full-size ones.
No, except if a conversion exists. A few games have been converted by enthusiasts, but not all.
The loader can't automatically split a cartridge game to add in loading screens.
This is a very complex process which can't be done automatically.
No, however the loader's menu itself brings similar features such as cheats, region and DIP-switch settings.
The full NeoGeo CD library fits in a 64GB SD card. Speed (class) isn't important, any will do.
Installs on which the CD drive is kept in place only allow microSD cards.
Only SDSC, SDHC and SDXC cards are supported. WiFi-capable and other weird SDIO cards may work but are NOT tested.
Both can be updated by placing an update file on the SD card. Updates are provided for everyone and for free.
Yes. If you burn it to a CD and it works on an un-modded console, then it will work with the loader.
No guarantees that it'll work perfectly if you only tried it in an emulator. Making it work on the real console is up to you !
The firmware doesn't rely on a list of known games. It will load any CD image as long as its file structure matches the one required by the console's original BIOS. This means existing and future homebrew games can be loaded without having to update the firmware.
Using an ultra-fast luxury SD card won't improve loading times. The speed is limited by the console's memory. Even my oldest and slowest 128MB card currently isn't maxed out.
No. The devices may serve a similar purpose (replacing a storage medium with a more modern one) but the companies and people involved are different. The NeoCD SD Loader only works on CD systems.
No. I only keep an anonymous list of the serial numbers of the kits I built. This is used to keep track of which hardware version is each kit to make customer service easier.
Yes, see https://github.com/furrtek/NeoCDSDLoader. Be sure to read the rules !